Random Reviews:

Friday, June 30, 2017

Book Blogger Hop is another post I'm going to be trying out and this one
has a topic each week, which is something I've been trying to bring to
the blog. I'm really excited about this one because I have a hard time
coming up with something fresh to talk about and I'm hoping this helps.

If you would be interested in doing your own post, please CLICK HERE to learn more about this great hop!

I'm probably going to get slack for this answer, but I don't mind and I know a lot of other's that feel the same way about this book. This might also be an answer we see a lot of for this weeks question. So with that being said the book that changed my life is...(Drum roll please)

Yep I'm about to get a bit sappy! This book changed my life in a few different ways, one it brought back my love of reading and got me reading again. Which of course brought me to starting this blog. Now this book also changed my life because it brought me so many amazing friends. This fandom was huge and so many people were talking about it. Once I found this book and the fandom I was able to chat with so many people about the books and I realized I wasn't the only one that enjoyed talking about books. There are tons of books out there that I love, but this one will always hold a place in my life where I can look back and say that is the reason I'm reading and enjoy it so much.

Alright, I'm done being all sappy. How about you, what book changed your life? Comment below.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Alright so I've been wanting to start posting some of the book tags I've seen around the bloggasvere and Youtube, so here we go. The first one is going to be the Mid Year Bok Freak Out Tag. Originally this one was created by the Youtube channels ReadLikeWildfire and EarlGreyBooks.

Like in most book tags this one has a series of questions to answer, so let's do this!

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2017.

This is a hard one for me becuase I've read some pretty fantastic books, but right now I would have to say...

I just loved this book so much, I actually loved this whole series a lot. So much so that I wouldn't mind going back and re-reading them sometime.

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2017.

I bet you're thinking I'm going to say Broken Prince for this one aren't you? Guess what I'm not!

The best sequel I've read so far this year is...

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.

This one actually was actually released on Tuesday and I'm dying to read it!

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

I've been dying to read this one, the release date is marked for August! Which isn't too much longer of a wait.

5. Biggest disappointment.

I have tried three times this year to read this book, but I can't seem to get into it. I know it's not a relase from this year, but honestly. I'm still hoping maybe it's just me and I'm just not in the mood for it or something.

6. Biggest surprise.

I'm not really sure what my biggest surpise is yet this year. I'm still kind of waiting for it.

7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)

Author Erin Watt would have to be a new favorite author for me this year. I loved this whole series!

8. Newest fictional crush.

Yep you're not seeing things, this book is on this list twice, but Ridge OMG Ridge! I love him.

9. Newest favourite character.

I loved all of the characters in this book, but Elijah and Cora became my favorites. I didn't want this book to end!

10. Book that made you cry.

Oh my God, this book made me cry so hard. I loved it, one of my favorites I've read so far this year, but I cried so hard near the end. If you've read it, please tell me I'm not the only one!

11. Book that made you happy.

Almost all of the books I've read so far this year have made me happy, but I think the one that has made me the most happy would have to be...

12. Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year.

This is another thing I'm waiting on this year, still haven't found a favorite just yet.

13. Favourite review you've written this year. (Booktube version: Favourite video you have done so far in this year)

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Architect
Kate Jameson has sworn off men. That is until she meets Eric, the handsome son
of her current client. Fresh out of a messy relationship with a co-worker,
Kate’s not ready to trust her judgement where men are concerned. She dodges
Eric’s advances, but can’t deny the attraction growing between them.
Everything–especially his soul-searing brown eyes–makes her want to throw
caution to the wind and try again. At her sister’s prodding, Kate finally
agrees to date Eric, surprised at the joy he brings into her life. But when
their budding romance is threatened, Kate is forced to make hard decisions and
fight for her true happiness.

Undercover
CIA agent Eric Wiley has survived enough loss in his life to ever want to risk
being hurt again. He has long since given up on true love. Still, he’s drawn to
Kate in a way he can’t rationalize. Avoiding her isn’t working and for the
first time in a relationship, he wants to be truthful about his past and his
career. Before their romance can bloom, however, Kate goes missing. Recognizing
the danger, Eric stops at nothing to rescue the woman who has captured his
heart.

When
she’s not playing with her granddaughter, Pennsylvania native Claire Yezbak
Fadden is writing contemporary women’s fiction. Her books feature strong women
who overcome life’s challenges, always putting their families first. Claire
loves butterflies, ladybugs and holds a special affinity for carousel horses –
quite possibly the result of watching “Mary Poppins” 13 times as a young girl.

Claire loves to cheer on the San
Diego State Aztecs, her alma mater, and is a big fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates,
Steelers and Penguins. The mother of three, she lives in Orange County,
California with her husband, Nick and two spoiled dogs, Bandit and Jersey Girl.
Claire’s work as an award-winning journalist, humor columnist and editor has
appeared in 100 publications across the United States, Canada and Australia.

Maybe This
Time
is a continuation of her Begin Again series, starting with her debut novel, A Corner of
Her Heart.

“I’m Eric Wiley,” he said,
offering his hand for Colleen to shake before returning his attention to Kate.

“So maybe we can set up that
coffee date. There’s a great little place a couple of doors down.”

“I know. Colleen and I just had
coffee there.”

“And scones,” Colleen chimed in,
handing Kate her bag of leftovers. “I’ve got to get going. I have class in
thirty minutes.”

“Teacher or student?” Eric asked.

“Yoga instructor.”

“Nice. Maybe I can take your class
sometime. It’s not that sweaty yoga, is it?”

“No, it’s more of a flow class.
Kate can tell you all about it.” Colleen tapped Kate on the shoulder. “I’ll see
you later,” she said before scurrying toward the yoga studio.

“I like your friend,” Eric said
gesturing to Colleen’s back.

“She’s pretty terrific. We met in
her class. Used to be a cop.” Kate wanted to run away, but her feet grounded
into the earth as though an alien force rooted them in place. All the small
talk didn’t comfort her. Minutes before this guy was kissing another woman, and
now he was flirting with her. Was there no end to his nerve?

“And leave the family business for
what? I don’t see that happening.” You’re such a privileged mama’s boy, Kate
wanted to say, but didn’t. Truth was during their earlier interactions, Eric
didn’t strike her as someone who life had been easy on. It was obvious his
parents leaned on his judgment. Eric presented himself as a self-made man,
working for what success came his way. Still, he was hiding something she
couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Granted with business-owner
parents, his path may have been smoother than many. Even if your folks set you
up, you’re the one who has to walk that path. Kate knew lots of privileged
folks who took the benefits they were born into and managed to drink, gamble or
in some other way squander their advantage, as though opportunity was an
all-you-can-eat buffet. Made a bad choice, no problem. Just get a clean plate
and try again. The sports pages and movie magazines were filled with celebrity
examples. A couple of Kate’s sorority sisters were still trying to find
themselves. That’s what they claimed at the last reunion.

“You’d be surprised. I can tell
you more about my future plans over a hot mocha.”

Kate readjusted her purse strap
and leaned away. “Thanks for the invite, but I need to get to work. We’re
already brainstorming the next complex. Proposal is due in two weeks.”

“Yeah, I know. We talked about
your innovative ideas. I thought they were great. You’re great.” Eric licked
his lips and stepped closer. “Seems to me like we connected, at least a little
bit, but if you’re not interested, just say so. You don’t have to go through
not answering my calls and giving me the brush off. Just be honest. It will
save us both a lot of time.”

Kate shoved her paper pastry bag
in her coat pocket and crossed her arms. “Honesty? Is that the most important
value to you, because I believe in always telling the truth. I always tell the
truth.”

“And you’re suggesting I don't?”
Eric’s nostrils flared with anger, causing Kate to step back. “We are standing
in the street arguing about I don’t know what. Do you want to have a cup of
coffee with me or not? It’s just that simple.”

“Not until you answer a question
first.” Kate straightened to her full five-foot-six height. “Who were you
kissing a moment ago?”

“Kissing? What are you talking
about?”

“Near the cab. The woman who
kissed you. Who is she? You’re an only child, so I know that wasn’t your
sister. A cousin, maybe?” Kate huffed.

Eric’s eyes widened.

Is this how he stalls for time,
cooking up a lie, Kate thought. This should be really good. She waited, even
tapped the toe of her boot a time or two. “Well?”

“Like I said on my call, business
ended early. I grabbed a cab with a coworker. End of story.”

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Ali Listens is my new review title for Audio book Reviews. I wanted to start splitting up my reviews into categories. Something I've been wanting to do for awhile, just haven't had the chance. So today I have a great audio book review to share with you.

“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future...

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

I must say this first and foremost, after reading Me Before You then reading After You, this book was exactly what I needed. Me Before You had left me in a funk! After You took care of that and let me know that she wasn't unhappy forever. (Spoiler Alert! Sorry.) But was my thoughts after reading Me Before You. I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to Lou.

The writing style of course is the same as Me Before You and I must say I loved the new characters that were introduced in this book. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when I started reading, but happy that it ended the way it did.

There were a few twists and turns in this book, just like the first one, and something I knew would happen. I mean Lou never makes anything easy, that's why I connected with the character so much. That and a few other reasons, but I don't want to ramble on and on about that.

The narrators for the audiobook were perfection, they fit the voices and I loved that there were different voices for the characters. It wasn't just one voice reading all of it. That is something I really enjoy, helps me as a reader dive into the story and keeps my attention.

I would recommend this book to anyone who read Me Before You and were left wanting, no scratch that, needed to know what would happen next to Lou.

Book Rating:

Audiobook Rating:

Here at Ali's Bookshelf we accept books in exchange for a honest review. The book above though I bought for myself through Audible. We also use Amazon Affiliate links at times.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Their group had grown, she thought with a smile, seeing the spouses of her brother and cousins, who were now a part of it all. Everyone joined in for Father's Day since they had some of the best dads ever.

I'm super excited to read this book, I've followed this series from the beginning and love reading each book so much. Hope you all have a great Tuesday and if you would like to leave me a
little teaser from what you're reading below in the comments I would
love that or you can leave me a link to your post.

Monday, June 26, 2017

This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. It's a meme where you share what you read last week, what you're currently reading and what you plan on reading that week.

Last week was a great week for reading and I enjoyed everything I read. Hopefully this week is the same. Must say I'm really enjoying the freedom of reading what I want to read, makes blogging so much more fun.

A sizzling new Buckhorn Brothers novella from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

If
there's one thing headstrong bookstore owner Amber Hudson knows, it's
how to get what she wants. And what she wants most is for Noel Poet, the
hottest firefighter in Buckhorn, Kentucky, to finally admit they have a
future together. But when life throws her an unexpected curveball,
Amber must face the fact that she's set her sights on something that
could be out of reach forever.

Noel might be head over heels for
Amber, but he has no intention of letting her call all the shots. He's
determined to play Amber's game his own way—and remind her that some
things are worth fighting for. Yet when Amber gets the shock of her
life, games are the last thing on his mind. Because now it's time to
prove that old demons are no match for the happy-ever-after that could
be theirs…

Don't miss the other titles in the Buckhorn Brothers
series, including Buckhorn Beginnings, Forever Buckhorn, The Buckhorn
Legacy, Buckhorn Ever After in the All For You anthology, Back to
Buckhorn, A Buckhorn Summer and A Buckhorn Bachelor.

Nicholas Arthur
Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka His Royal
Hotness, is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly
arrogant; hard not to be when people are constantly bowing down to you.

Then,
one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who
doesn't bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face.

Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparent is used to getting what he wants.

Dating a prince isn't what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be.

There's
a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless
paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. While they've traded in horse
drawn carriages for Rolls Royces, and haven't chopped anyone's head off
lately, the royals are far from accepting of this commoner.

But to Olivia, Nicholas is worth it.

Nicholas
grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in
full force. In the end, Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more
importantly, who he wants to be: a King... or the man who gets to love
Olivia forever.

A woman finds the
strength to overcome a painful history and faces the challenge of
learning to trust and love again in this powerful and uplifting novel.

Shay
has never had a happy life. After growing up in an abusive home, she
finally secures a job at a bank when her father passes away. Her
brother, Caden, quickly falls into the wrong crowd and finds himself
indebted to a dangerous drug lord. In a desperate attempt to rescue her
only living family member, Shay risks everything, and finds herself
sentenced to two years in prison.

When she’s finally released,
even the brother she gave everything to save has abandoned her. Dejected
and alone, Shay wanders into a church. She catches the attention of
Pastor Andrew Douglas, a leader in the community and recent widower.
Together, she and Andrew find healing and remember how to open their
hearts to a brighter future.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Take a Break Watch this Vid is a post that I host here on Ali's Bookshelf
from time to time. It showcases a lot of book trailers or movie
trailers that I'm excited to see/read. Today is no different. Today I
have the book trailer for a book that I'm currently reading and I'm in
awe of the trailer and the book so far. So much so that I knew I had to
share it with you.

Hurry grab a small snack and come watch this with me.

So what do you think?

I'll be posting my review for this book soon. Can't wait to read the rest! I'm only a few chapters in, but can't get enough of it.

Years
ago, Kahlen was rescued from drowning by the Ocean. To repay her debt,
she has served as a Siren ever since, using her voice to lure countless
strangers to their deaths. Though a single word from Kahlen can kill,
she can’t resist spending her days on land, watching ordinary people and
longing for the day when she will be able to speak and laugh and live
freely among them again.

Kahlen is resigned to finishing her
sentence in solitude…until she meets Akinli. Handsome, caring, and kind,
Akinli is everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. And though she can’t talk
to him, they soon forge a connection neither of them can deny…and Kahlen
doesn’t want to.

Falling in love with a human breaks all the
Ocean’s rules, and if the Ocean discovers Kahlen’s feelings, she’ll be
forced to leave Akinli for good. But for the first time in a lifetime of
following the rules, Kahlen is determined to follow her heart.